ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- Seven German protesters were detained by police Friday after attending an anti-austerity protest outside their country's embassy in Athens.
The seven, detained after eggs were thrown at the building, were later released without charge, police said.
Nearby, high school students demonstrated outside parliament and briefly clashed with police.
Protests have flared again after last weekend's vote by Greek lawmakers to back a new round of harsh austerity measures in return for massive new bailout deals. The vote in parliament triggered mass protests and riots in Athens and other cities that left stores looted and burned, and more than 120 people hurt.
The country's two largest unions are planning another protest in central Athens Sunday.
Greece's coalition government is struggling to push through multibillion euro rescue deals with private creditors and eurozone countries, before a March 20 bond repayment. Without the bailout money, Greece faces defaulting on its debts.
The coalition government, made up of the country's two largest political parties, the Socialists and conservatives, is struggling to contain dissent and expelled 43 dissenting parliament deputies from its ranks following the austerity vote last Sunday.
A junior coalition partner, the right-wing LAOS party, pulled out of the government last week, also objecting to the new austerity measures that include slashing the minimum wage and state benefits.
On Friday, two resigned LAOS lawmakers, including Transport Minister Makis Voridis, joined the conservative New Democracy party.
One of the lawmakers, Adonis Georgiadis, told reporters: "Greece needs a robust leadership that will give the country hope again . The only remaining party with a comprehensive organization is the ... New Democracy Party, which expresses the hope that Greece won't end up like Syria."
There are no comments yet